[Lanchez]

Have anyone tryed the X5 2nd Gen?  how it would compare to a dx90?

 

[chicken beer]

Auditted DX90, better than X5 1st gen by sounding slightly more musical to me. Fiio sound I've been listening too much and can get boring sometimes.
 
Anyway I bought a X5 1st gen just because it's $100 cheaper and I don't think Fiio can do much better on X5 2nd gen after seeing the specs.

 

[San Man]

Hello all and Happy New Year!

I recently picked up a pair of W40s, and am looking for a DAP that will complement them.   No cans or other iems at the moment.   I was planning to buy a K1 or a Q1 and connect to my iphone 6plus, but the types and lengths of cables (CCK and mini usb/usb) required would make the entire setup very cumbersome and messy so I scrapped that plan.
 
From my research:
From what I'm reading, both are very good products, with some minor differences in sound.   

It also seems that the iBasso gear has a slightly more friendly UI than the Fioo gear.
 
DX have a replaceable battery, Fioo does not.
 
Lastly, should I even consider a unit with a built in EQ into my buying decision, in order to smooth the midbass hump the W40s seem to have?
 
Either the DX90 or X5 is within my reach (not willing to spend X7 money at this time), and I'm also willing to step down if suggested.   I want something that will be "future" ready if I decide to buy some cans rather than something that will need upgrading again if the time comes.   I'm leaning toward a DX unit at this time.


Can anyone offer some helpful guidance please?

 

[bluesyfluesy]

  Hello all and Happy New Year!

I recently picked up a pair of W40s, and am looking for a DAP that will complement them.   No cans or other iems at the moment.   I was planning to buy a K1 or a Q1 and connect to my iphone 6plus, but the types and lengths of cables (CCK and mini usb/usb) required would make the entire setup very cumbersome and messy so I scrapped that plan.
 
From my research:
From what I'm reading, both are very good products, with some minor differences in sound.   

It also seems that the iBasso gear has a slightly more friendly UI than the Fioo gear.
 
DX have a replaceable battery, Fioo does not.
 
Lastly, should I even consider a unit with a built in EQ into my buying decision, in order to smooth the midbass hump the W40s seem to have?
 
Either the DX90 or X5 is within my reach (not willing to spend X7 money at this time), and I'm also willing to step down if suggested.   I want something that will be "future" ready if I decide to buy some cans rather than something that will need upgrading again if the time comes.   I'm leaning toward a DX unit at this time.


Can anyone offer some helpful guidance please?

Are you planning to get the DX90 used? If not, you might want to look at the newer DX80, which should be around the same price as a DX90 since the DX90 is discontinued.
 
Anyway, if you look at my inventory I used to own a DX90, and my my experience with the equalizer wasn't really positive. I stayed away from it, since I found that it can muddy the sound when activated. Also, I used to have a Westone 4R, and I never found it to have an excessive mid-bass hump though 

 
Anyway, if you are only looking at the DX90 or X5, personally, I'd go with the DX90. It has superior soundstage size as well as detail retrieval. The X5, on the other hand, is more intimate and forward, with better depth reproduction.
 
But before I end, I have one last point for you to consider: The DX90's sound signature changes quite a bit with the firmware. It's quite a roller-coaster ride, I went between different firmware versions quite a bit until I found the one that I really liked - FW 2.0.0 - the best sounding but also the buggiest, and most difficult to use. 

 

 

[howdy]

  Hello all and Happy New Year!

I recently picked up a pair of W40s, and am looking for a DAP that will complement them.   No cans or other iems at the moment.   I was planning to buy a K1 or a Q1 and connect to my iphone 6plus, but the types and lengths of cables (CCK and mini usb/usb) required would make the entire setup very cumbersome and messy so I scrapped that plan.
 
From my research:
From what I'm reading, both are very good products, with some minor differences in sound.   

It also seems that the iBasso gear has a slightly more friendly UI than the Fioo gear.
 
DX have a replaceable battery, Fioo does not.
 
Lastly, should I even consider a unit with a built in EQ into my buying decision, in order to smooth the midbass hump the W40s seem to have?
 
Either the DX90 or X5 is within my reach (not willing to spend X7 money at this time), and I'm also willing to step down if suggested.   I want something that will be "future" ready if I decide to buy some cans rather than something that will need upgrading again if the time comes.   I'm leaning toward a DX unit at this time.


Can anyone offer some helpful guidance please?

If you are looking to buy a used X5 PM me as I have one for sale.

 

[San Man]

  Are you planning to get the DX90 used? If not, you might want to look at the newer DX80, which should be around the same price as a DX90 since the DX90 is discontinued.
 
Anyway, if you look at my inventory I used to own a DX90, and my my experience with the equalizer wasn't really positive. I stayed away from it, since I found that it can muddy the sound when activated. Also, I used to have a Westone 4R, and I never found it to have an excessive mid-bass hump though 

 
Anyway, if you are only looking at the DX90 or X5, personally, I'd go with the DX90. It has superior soundstage size as well as detail retrieval. The X5, on the other hand, is more intimate and forward, with better depth reproduction.
 
But before I end, I have one last point for you to consider: The DX90's sound signature changes quite a bit with the firmware. It's quite a roller-coaster ride, I went between different firmware versions quite a bit until I found the one that I really liked - FW 2.0.0 - the best sounding but also the buggiest, and most difficult to use. 

 

Thank you for the help.   I noticed the DX80 the more I looked into the DX90, but thought nothing of it since it seemed to be a backward "progression" in their product linup numbering.   I also read about the FW and issues on certain updates, and users downgrading their FW to the last stable version.   Like you said, quite the coaster ride.
 
I don't want to sidetrack this thread so I messaged you an unrelated question.

 

[San Man]

 
If you are looking to buy a used X5 PM me as I have one for sale.

I'll keep it in mind, thank you

 

[bluesyfluesy]

Thank you for the help.   I noticed the DX80 the more I looked into the DX90, but thought nothing of it since it seemed to be a backward "progression" in their product linup numbering.   I also read about the FW and issues on certain updates, and users downgrading their FW to the last stable version.   Like you said, quite the coaster ride.

I don't want to sidetrack this thread so I messaged you an unrelated question.

iBasso mentioned that the numbering of their products didn't serve as an indicator of its performance. A friend of mine has the DX80 and I can say that I am impressed with its sound and ergonomics. The UI is acceptable - I didn't encounter any serious bugs with it, but that was on one of the older firmware.

 

[darkwasim786]

Wow it's been ages since i started this thread....just a quick question for all you head fi'ers.
 
Having loved my dx90, i find myself using my phone as my portable source alot more these days, due to the convenience of having to carry only one device and having most of my library on here.
 
Would it be a good idea to sell my nearly mint dx90, well cared for;to get a chord mojo to use with my phone instead for my ciems?
 
How would the sound compare? 

 

[makk12]

So this thread only shows a lot of different opinions and perspectives on both of these audio players and it doesn't matter if these opinions correct or not. 
 
You people trying to sound so much like knowledgeable people. ''Audiophiles''. No, you are not.
 
I enjoy dx90 and i listen to electronic music and it works fine. They also work so much better on certain electronic artists that take their music on the next level. For me these are great, balanced and none balanced audio players and they are perfect with electronic music and midi/computerized music in general.

 

[zyghom]

I just bought HD 800 and DX90 is completely not designed to drive them.
As much as vocal is considered (Diana Krall or so) everything is OK.
But when it comes to Linkin Park, Metallica, or even Dire Straits - not enough power, everything gets mixed, unpleasant completely.
And btw we are talking always above 230 (out of 255).
Power switch (0,1,2) is not usable in 1 or 2 - you can hear how the DX90 is breathing.
Unpleasant again.
I think DX90 will be good as source but something has to come in between DX90 and HD 800